NEW BLOGGER -- Bob Leahy: Northern Lights
HIV is "no picnic for many," says Bob Leahy, a onetime banker turned AIDS activist and prolific, thoughtful writer. "For some of us though, the lucky ones, HIV has been a good thing. ... It's made us make something of our lives." Bob's new blog complements his insightful writings on PositiveLite.com.

Dave R: "Dear Dave ...": The Virus Writes Back!
"You knew all about me before we met ... How many friends had I killed, with you watching me do it and yet still determined to get into bed with me eventually? Oh please, don't tell me you never meant for this to happen!"

"In 2007 you stopped just being something I watched in a movie. All that time you were living in him. It didn't matter if he had acknowledged you. You almost took his life regardless. Seeing you in him scared me. You turned my world upside down days before my 28th birthday. You coming into my bloodstream left me no choice but to acknowledge you. ... As I processed and grieved your presence, I almost allowed you to destroy me." -- Melissa Baker

"When 'activists' say we need to speak with one voice, what I hear them saying is 'don't challenge our status quo' despite the arduously slow response to change that bureaucracies by their nature [have]. Activism has itself become an industry that wants people to be reactive, do their bidding, but not necessarily be informed. When you see how many activists are jetting around the world on someone else's dime to the countless conferences, is it any wonder?"

Is "Soft" HIV Activism Enough?
What makes a person a "real" HIV/AIDS activist? Can young people today become respected members of the fight by using social media and blogging, or must they hit the pavement to be welcomed into the fold?

Ending the Epidemic: A Call for Leadership
"The President and Secretary Clinton gave us the vision" for an AIDS-free generation, writes Paul Kawata of the National Minority AIDS Council. "Now it's time for various federal departments to provide the substance to realize that vision and for Congress to appropriate the necessary resources to make it a reality."

As a Young Woman With HIV, Can I Still Reach for the American Dream?
"Is the American Dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness really achievable for HIV-positive women?" Sonia Rastogi asks. "[HIV] does not have to be a disease of crisis, despair and shame. Yet, it is. It is because HIV runs the well-worn path of gender inequality."

Dear HIV Organizations: You Really Want to Help Us? Pay Us.
Barb Cardell dreads it when people ask her what she does for a living. "'I am a professional volunteer,' I usually respond. ... What am I supposed to say? 'I can't work because 20 years ago I tested HIV positive, and just surviving was my full-time job?'"

A Fire in the House: HIV/AIDS in the Deep South
"Having been active in the fight against HIV/AIDS for the past 25-plus years, I've seen plenty of life that is unfair, unjust and painful," Maura Riordan writes. A recent trip to Alabama brought it all back: "What I have seen and heard is far too reminiscent of my early days in this fight," she declares.

My Husband, HIV and Me
(A recent post from the "My Loved One Has HIV/AIDS" board)

"This is my first post ever, very scary. My husband was diagnosed 3 years ago. For anyone out there who is going through this: It gets better. I thought I was going to bury him, instead he is doing well. On HAART, no bad side effects. Sometimes it is difficult to be in a serodiscordant relationship, but because of HIV, I know what it means to love someone completely."